PM's talks with expenses probe boss

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In face-to-face talks before Sir Christopher Kelly's eagerly-anticipated report on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will insist that the vast majority of MPs are not on the take.

While demanding that the discredited expenses system must be overhauled, he is also concerned that poorer people should not be deterred from entering Westminster politics.

His meeting with Sir Christopher, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life which has been reviewing MPs' pay and perks, is described as a "routine briefing".

A Downing Street source said Mr Brown would say that "ordinary people with families must always be able to become MPs". The source added: "The vast majority of MPs work extremely hard. Mr Brown feels MPs have been let down by a bad system and some bad apples."

Sir Christopher is expected to call for a ban on MPs employing family members or using taxpayers' cash to invest in the property market.

Harriet Harman weighed in on Sunday, however, to insist that MPs should not be forced to sack their husbands or wives already in their employment. The Leader of the Commons said if the recommendation was adopted by the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) it would not be "fair" to dismiss existing employees.

"I think it would be wrong to judge them all as not doing a good job, I don't believe that to be the case," she said. "Secondly, I do think it would be fair not to sack existing spouses who are working for MPs.

"I think if they are going to suggest something it should be for the future, they can't simply say, 'You have all got to be made redundant'."

Ms Harman is to present Sir Christopher's recommendations to the Commons on Wednesday, but MPs will not get to vote on his proposals. Instead it will be for Ipsa to decide on the new regime.